Tennis Server ATP/WTA Pro Tennis Showcase - Rogers Cup Men's Masters Toronto 2010 - Four for Four - Federer, Nadal, Murray, Berdych, Kohlschreiber, Nalbandian
nodot nodot
Pro Tennis Showcase
August 13, 2010

Subscribe to Match Reports

Pro Tennis Showcase Archive

Player Profile Index (Men)
Player Profile Index (Women)

Contact Tennis Server

Tennis Server
HOME PAGE

Do You Want To Be A Better Tennis Player?

Then Sign Up For A Free Subscription to the Tennis Server INTERACTIVE
E-mail Newsletter!

Tom Veneziano You will join 13,000 other subscribers in receiving news of updates to the Tennis Server along with monthly tennis tips from tennis pro Tom Veneziano.
 
Best of all, it is free!

Tennis Features Icon TENNIS FEATURES:

TENNIS ANYONE? - USPTA Pro John Mills' quick player tip.
 
TENNIS WARRIOR - Tom Veneziano's Tennis Warrior archive.
 
TURBO TENNIS - Ron Waite turbocharges your tennis game with tennis tips, strategic considerations, training and practice regimens, and mental mindsets and exercises.
 
WILD CARDS - Each month a guest column by a new writer.
 
BETWEEN THE LINES - Ray Bowers takes an analytical and sometimes controversial look at the ATP/WTA professional tour.
 
PRO TENNIS SHOWCASE - Tennis match reports and photography from around the world.
 
TENNIS SET - Jani Macari Pallis, Ph.D. looks at tennis science, engineering and technology.
 
MORTAL TENNIS - Greg Moran's tennis archive on how regular humans can play better tennis.
 
HARDSCRABBLE SCRAMBLE - USPTA pro Mike Whittington's player tip archive.
 
TENNIS EQUIPMENT TIPS.

Tennis Community Icon TENNIS COMMUNITY:


Tennis Book, DVD, and Video Index
 
Tennis Server Match Reports
 
Editor's Letter
 
Become a Tennis Server Sponsor

Explore The Tennis Net Icon EXPLORE THE TENNIS NET:

Tennis News and Live Tennis Scores
 
Tennis Links on the Web
 

nodot
Pro Tennis Showcase Banner
 
Green Dot
 
Tennis Warehouse Logo
 
Green Dot

 
nodot
Rogers Cup Men's Masters 2010, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 13, 2010
Editorial by Jane Voigt.

Jane Voigt Photo
Jane Voigt

Four for Four
 
August 13, 2010 -- All four top seeds, and top ranked players, made it to the semifinals of Rogers Cup today. The last time this happened was in Cincinnati last year, another Masters 1000 tournament.
 
The quartet on top at Rogers Cup is the same fantastic four as in Cincinnati, with a couple shifts ... Federer's the most noteworthy. He hasn't been seeded, or ranked, #3 since November 2003.
 
Andy Murray took a big step in defense of his title today. He defeated David Nalbandian -- the hottest comeback player on tour, moving up from #117 to #45 this week. The Scot's victory broke Nalbandian's personal best 11-match winning streak. Murray's victory also stoked his confidence.
 
Accused of a defensive style game that doesn't serve him well enough to win elite tournaments, Murray reversed engines today anticipating a strong baseline offense from Nalbandian.
 
"I was expecting it to be a very tough match and it wasn't," Murray said. "When I was getting to the balls I was defending with better length, better depth. It was a lot harder for him to dictate [an] attack."
 
Murray kept Nalbandian at bay with an upbeat aggressive strategy, pinning the Argentine in the backcourt with deep groundstrokes. And, he yanked Nalbandian around the court with keen placement of deep groundstrokes. In a word, Murray changed his court posture, and he knew it.
 
"It was one of the best matches I've played this year," Murray acknowledged.
 
Go figure. Murray without a coach is better than Murray with a coach. Perhaps flying solo is what he's always needed.
 
Philipp Kohlschreiber hasn't posed problems for Rafael Nadal, except on hard courts when the German had come close to beating the Spaniard. Fans grew anxious today after Nadal lost the first set. But with a 6-0 head-to-head record, the cards were in his favor. And, Kohlschreiber is predictable.
 
"I think today I started terrible," Nadal said clearly. "So it is a good victory for me, especially because I finished the match playing better in the third."
 
Kohlschreiber bludgeoned the ball and served aces, but couldn't maintain his aggression on the run. He angered Nadal with precise drop shots. But his most critical error was on second serves... he went to Nadal's forehand.
 
The shift came in the middle of the third set. Kohlschreiber failed to convert a couple break points, and dragged his disappointment into the next couple games. Nadal sensed it and stepped up his assault, breaking at love.
 
"You playing defensive, you can win a few matches," Nadal said thoughtfully. "But have the chance to be in semifinals or finals is impossible playing defensive because finally you play against he best players of the world. If you have defensive in this court, it's impossible to best them."
 
The Berdych/Federer match was the "It Match" of the day. Fans were jacked. Berdych rolled over Federer in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon this year, and snuck by in a tiebreak in Miami. If Federer didn't pull it off tonight, the fallout from the media would be harsh.
 
But Friday the thirteenth was Federer's lucky night. Starting strong and reminiscent of a Roger of 2005, he assertively took the first set. He took care of his serve and jumped on his chances when they came up, the way Pete Sampras pulled off victory after victory.
 
Toward the end of the second, both men faltered. They served pairs of double faults in a game when each had had sailed along smoothly. Serving to go to a tiebreak, Federer double faulted, framed a backhand, and sent shots wide. The king cracked. Berdych took the set 7/5.
 
"That was a tough moment for both of us," Federer began. "He also double faulted twice around that time. I thought the transition going from day to night was kind of tricky. I just felt like all of a sudden I didn't see the ball as clearly anymore. I definitely played a shocker game."
 
Mid-way in the third Berdych dug a deep hole -- love/forty -- and handed Federer an engraved invitation that read: it's yours. But Berdych became the thorn in Federer's side. He hit two second-serve aces, put away a delightful volley, and drew a backhand error. Door closed.
 
"In Miami, I think he was up a break too in the third and I cam back and pushed it to the breaker and then had 6-5 on my own serve," Federer said. "At Wimbledon he served for the match and I also had a couple break point opportunities in the last game to come back, so it was deja vu in these last two matches. I just kind of felt this was probably going to slip away."
 
Berdych was a happy Czech. What did he care if Federer had held. He was about to win. Berdych, though, acted cocky. A bit ahead of himself. And Federer pulled another rabbit from his lucky hat. He came from 0/40 down, won the game and took the match to a tiebreak.
 
Federer's 4-0 lead in the breaker vanished in a snap after a guy in the audience yelled, "Are you nervous, Berdych?" The barb spurred him on. Federer sprayed the next three points, but luckily managed to win the breaker and the match on an inside out forehand -- the score was 63 57 76(5).
 
"Such a long match," Berdych began. "I lost in the tiebreak of the third set, so I don't think that even with any other opponent you can say it is easier or tougher. Every match is different. I mean it was about just a couple of points."
 
It wasn't just a couple points for Novak Djokovic. He convincingly defeated Jeremy Chardy in straight sets 62 63 in just over an hour.
 
"As soon as I stepped on the court tonight I felt the ball right," Djokovic said confidently. "I served a very high percentage of the first serves in and basically put a lot of pressure on his service. I got a lot of returns back. Those were keys to victory." Tomorrow Djokovic plays Federer, and Nadal plays Murray.
 

 
[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) {pink shirt} d Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 36 63 64
 
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Philipp Kohlschreiber Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Rafael Nadal Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis

 
 
[4] Andy Murray (GBR) {white shirt} d David Nalbandian (ARG) 62 62
 
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
David Nalbandian Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Andy Murray Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis

 
 
[3] Roger Federer (SUI) {pink shirt} d [7] Tomas Berdych (CZE) 63 57 76(5)
 
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Tomas Berdych Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis
Roger Federer Rogers Cup Toronto Tennis

 
Earlier Coverage from this Event:
 
August 12, 2010 Rogers Cup Toronto Masters: Moving Into The Quarterfinals - Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Novak Djokovic, Victor Hanescu
August 11, 2010 Rogers Cup Toronto Masters: Talent Everywhere
August 10, 2010 Rogers Cup Toronto Masters: Pressure From the Top
 

Green DotGreen DotGreen Dot

Player Profile Index (Men) | Pro Tennis Showcase Archive | Player Profile Index (Women)

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TENNIS SERVER PHOTO FEED

join our mailing list
* indicates required

All Tennis Server photography is copyrighted by the photographer and/or the Tennis Server, and all rights are reserved. You may not copy these images without permission. While you are welcome to create hyperlinks to Tennis Server web pages, you may not embed these images into other web pages or blogs without permission. To request permission, please use this contact form. Please be sure to clearly indicate exactly which photograph(s) you are requesting permission to use, as terms and conditions will vary depending on the photographer and the photograph.


 

nodot
nodot
Google
Web tennisserver.com
nodot nodot
The Tennis Server
Ticket Exchange

Your Source for tickets to professional tennis & golf events.
 
SAI Team Tennis Tournament Tickets
 
Dallas Open Tickets
 
Delray Beach Open Tickets
 
ATX Open Tickets
 
BNP Paribas Open Tickets
 
Miami Open Tickets
 
Credit One Charleston Open Tickets
 
US Men's Clay Court Championships Tickets
 
Wimbledon Tickets
 
Infosys Hall of Fame Open Tickets
 
Atlanta Open Tickets
 
Mubadala Citi Open Tennis Tournament Tickets
 
National Bank Open Women's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
National Bank Open Men's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
Western & Southern Open Tickets
 
Winston-Salem Open Tickets
 
US Open Tennis Championship Tickets
 

 

Popular Tennis books:
 
Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis-Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert, Steve Jamison
 
The Best Tennis of Your Life: 50 Mental Strategies for Fearless Performance by Jeff Greenwald
 
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
 
Most Recent Articles:
 
October 2022 Tennis Anyone: Patterns in Doubles by John Mills.
 
September 2022 Tennis Anyone: Short Court by John Mills.
 

 

 

 

"Tennis Server" is a registered trademark and "Tennis Server INTERACTIVE" is a trademark of Tennis Server. All original material and graphics on the Tennis Server are copyrighted 1994 - by Tennis Server and its sponsors and contributors. Please do not reproduce without permission.

The Tennis Server receives a commission on all items sold through links to Amazon.com.

 

Tennis Server
Cliff Kurtzman
Editor-in-chief
791 Price Street #144
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone: (281) 480-6300
Online Contact Form
How to support Tennis Server as a Sponsor/Advertiser
Tennis Server Privacy Policy